First announced aaaaallll the way back in March 2007, Avatar Reality have today released the first screens and solid info on their upcoming MMO Blue Mars. Set on Mars in the year 2177, they say "players will be able to live out their fantasies through personalized avatars", and that a public beta will kick off later this year. Oh, and it's all looking very gorgeous, as you'd expect from anything powered by Crytek's CryENGINE 2.

That's where my optimism for this thing ends. For starters, this doesn't sound like much of a "game". It sounds more like a controlled version of Second Life, what with it being called a "massively multiplayer virtual world" and with screenshots dedicated to...women's handbags and shoes. No, thanks.